Equestrian Dissension
by EquestrianDissension
Summary: Set during the civil war between the New Lunar Republic and the United Solar Empire. Princesses Celestia and Luna stand divided, as the ponies of the realm take sides and fight for the future of Equestria Note: This will be a continuous project that will be updated on a weekly basis. And make sure to visit us on facebook for regular updates and to voice your opinions.
1. NLR I - Exile

Warm golden light shone through the great windows of the throne room in discernible beams, creating an astonishing myriad of colours as they passed through the beautiful stained glass. Spotlights of lucent sapphires and cobalt like those of the sparkling cerulean lakes and effervescent streams of Equestria under the summer sun, danced with striking corals and radiant hues of pink in an entwining and enrapturing ballet of light and colour. The windows lined the elongated room and stretched upwards towards the apex of the room, as if yearning for the heavens and the mysteries of the stars, and as such the entire room was an awe inspiring spectacle that would bewilder and captivate anypony unfamiliar with the majesty of Canterlot. For example, the two royal guards, standing resplendent in shining golden plate mail, at the foot of the glorious carved gilded throne held an air of professional nonchalance and assertiveness; that displayed the adoptive cavalier attitude one could show towards a phenomenon like this, which you could see on a regular basis. However this room was unique unto itself and even the rest of the palace in its entirety could not match the bespoke majesty of it; except perhaps one room in particular, the mysterious air of which hung in it, furnishing it with an ethereal beauty. The section under reference is a specialist wing of the Grand Library, devoted entirely unto the magnanimous pioneer of magic Star Swirl the bearded. Of whom it is said, mentored and tutored the great founders of Equestria. Princess Luna of Equestria had been spending an increasing amount of time within those scrolls and tomes of late, however now a revelatory discovery had forced to seek out her sister; who had been wandering the gardens of the palace on this bright summer morning

"Won't you even hear me out sister?" asked Luna beseechingly, her voice melancholic but beautiful. Her elegant brows furrowed as she attempted yet again to stress the importance of her appeal to the elegant figure walking beside her. Celestia's pace faltered for the briefest of seconds as she sighed, reiterating the retort she had used during the entire stroll through the Canterlot Gardens they had just returned from. It was around mid-morning at the height of the summer, and the vivid emeralds had heightened and brought out the jade in her mane which fluttered ephemerally in the light cooling breeze from the open windows. Shimmering with an other-worldly light and cascading in great asymmetrical waves down her curved neck. And when she spoke, it rang out like a chorus of golden bells and lapped around the surroundings with its regal bearing.

"I understand perfectly what you are implying Luna, and I have to stress yet again that such permanence will never be required again, should our will prevail. And if anything does arise, can we, the rulers of Equestria, in this unprecedented golden age of peace not deal with it accordingly?"

The rhetoric caught Luna off guard and her usual eloquent speech was temporarily reduced to stammering by the strength of her companions conviction, and dare she think 'bone-headedness' to coin a layponies term, especially in the face of a matter of such import. However this was only momentary and the younger princess soon regained her decorum.

"You know I would never dispute that sister. However, I feel that it is my duty as a protector of the realm to deal with this."

Celestia smiled graciously as she extended a feather wing over Luna and puller her into a loving caress, her long black lashes framing joyful cerise irises.

"Sweet sister, you take yourself too seriously. Whilst I pertain that a sense of responsibility and honour is healthy, I also digress that a pony's happiness is paramount. Perhaps you are finding your royal appointments a little taxing? If you wish it, I will arrange for you to visit one of the fiefdoms for a while. You need to make some friends sweet Luna."

At this Luna had to stop herself from recoiling violently and gracefully stepped away, pivoting her head to look Celestia in the eye.

"You think I require friends? Thou insults me dear sister, I maintain plenty of amiable acquaintances, the magnitude of this is most dire and I pray that you attend to it at once."

Celestia, rather than taking offense at the veiled repulsion simply sent a sweetened knowing smile at her sister, as was her custom in the majority of situations.

"I meant besides the members of the Night Guard, again I am led to believe that you require a moratorium of appointments."

There was a dull silence perforated only by the echoing sounds of the pair's hooves as they proceeded through the winding corridors of the palace, which stood in stark contrast to the lush gardens and menagerie, with the gleaming marble floors. Occasionally the pair would pass a member of the Royal Guard, who would bow as they passed; the Prussian-blue hairs of the golden Galea bristling as they lowered their head. Each time the two princesses would incline their heads in acknowledgement and continue on. As they moved into a more centripetal corridor, the floors became adorned with a luscious crimson carpet which extended indefinitely around the many bends and rooms linking to the main thoroughfare

After what seemed like rather long time where the two sisters simply walked in a comfortable silence, the elder pony, who stood taller than her sibling by a good head, began to feel the effects of the conversational void and the inclination to strike up more dialogue began to rise. Eventually, her serene voice rang out, startling the younger princess who had been lost within her thoughts.

"Luna, if it means that much to you…"

The reply was instantaneous, telling Celestia what the topic of Luna's thoughts had been throughout the calm.

"It does, I wouldn't have raised the point if I hadn't believed so sister…"

"I know as much, do not fear. Does this mean you are now willing to tell me why you spend all of the time when you are not otherwise occupied locked up in that dank and dusty room you call an alchemy lab? And don't think that I haven't been informed of your frequenting the Library either. Remember that only those with my express permission may enter the Star-Swirl wing."

Luna's retort was dignified, yet cutting, delivered with a side smirk to insinuate that Luna's authority counted for as much as Celestia's own; which in the days since the end of Luna's banishment as the 'mare in the moon' was not without basis.

Again, Celestia had merely smiled at her sister, which had prompted Luna to launch into a detailed account of various tomes and incantations she had encountered relating to various aspects of magic that had gone unnoticed and forgotten since days long gone by. One particular area that had caught Luna's attention was a form of demi-conjuration, in which magic could be funnelled into an object to alter the physical and magic properties of it. It was a effectively transmogrification, and whereas imbuing inanimate objects with magical energy was common, and the manipulation of properties as transformations was something that middle-ranked students of magic could attain, this was something entirely different. For with this kind of magic, one used an object as a basis, but the result was the conception of something on an entirely different level. It was in effect the creation of an autonomous self-replenishing magic that could be extended over a seemingly infinite distance once established. A crude example of this being that if the caster wished, imbuing an orange with magical crystallites on a waning crescent moon, would cause oranges picked on a waning crescent moon to be crystalline in nature and while still edible, be preserved for exceptional amounts of time; as well as being extraordinary decorative at the same time.

Luna spoke with great passion about this and the pertaining specifics, with special emphasis on the fact that once established it was self-sustaining with no drain on the caster. As a matter of fact their involvement would be unnecessary once completed, with the exception of reversing the spell if such a need ever arose.

Luna carried on, her tourmaline eyes sparkling and her verdant mane glittering, and before long the two had reached the immense double doors of the throne room. Here Celestia had to intercede, lest Luna elaborate on matters for the remainder of the day. As the two unicorn guards standing erect and proper outside the doors lowered their heads, their horns began to glow with a purple aura, and the two doors slowly began to grind open to reveal the majestic room beyond.

The rolling scarlet carpet became bordered with rich golden embroidery here, and silver and white-gold filigree was worked into the pile in meticulously crafted designs. The resulting effect was almost as astonishing as the craftsmanship of the room itself.

"That is all well and good Luna, and I am sure it was discovered in good faith. But I am not entirely sure with what you claim to pertain to with this. Perhaps Twilight Sparkle would be more intrigued with these possibilities than I." Spoke Celestia, her mane now offset with the delicate pinks due to the prevailing light.

"It would appear you have missed my point Sister, but I will elucidate once more if you will be so beholden as to listen." Replied Luna, her voice composed and laced with royal majesty, so that in this here room it no longer sounded haunting and melancholic, but sang like an orchestral symphony with highlights of a silver clarinet and trilling flute but also deep and regal liken to the strokes of a cello, deep as the ocean.

"Thou spokest of enemies earlier my sister, and it is _that_ to which I pertain to in this matter. I am sure you may have noticed by now, but our enemies waken around us and I wonder how long until the rest will follow suit."

"Our enemies Luna? They waken you say? I think you may have let your imagination roam on this one sweet child." Luna looked indignant at the mellow laughter following that remark.

"I wish that you would not mock me so sister, already the kingdom has been beset by our oldest foes, Sombre arose from the frozen depths of the north, and Discord himself returned from the beyond. Just how long until the other rise again. Imprisoning them heart and mind will achieve nothing, they are too powerful and will always find a way to return. In your heart you know this to be true do you not?"

"What do you suggest then? Are we to kill our foes? I think not Luna, our compassion and mercy is what separates us from the likes of them. Or are you already forgetting that you yourself once stood as they do, and it is only the empathy we have shown that allows you to stand here today."

Luna looked abashed by the retort; her long lashes fluttering as a pale colour rose to her cheeks.

"You know I was not myself sister, how long will you continue to hold that against me…."

"Luna" Celestia spoke softly, once more draping a feathered wing over the younger's flank. "I hold nothing against you, and have never but wished for harmony between us. I know of the deep resentment you once felt. But I hope that we could have put that behind us many moons ago."

"I, I would never suggest that we kill anyone sister. That is why I looked into this magic, and also why I require your assistance in this matter."

"Tell it to me then, make me understand so that we can move onto lighter topics then."

"It requires" and Luna paused for a fraction of a second as she suppressed a shudder "containment magic."

"Containment magic? And what has led you to the assumption that I have knowledge of such things?"

"It was just a feeling I had sister, and considering how I have no knowledge of such magics, the only one in Equestria who may have any idea of the fundamentals would be yourself."

Celestia hummed as she mulled over what Luna had just proposed before asking a question.

"I may have some inclination, but I would ask what you would need it for. What do you intend with this, for I warn you that it is not a fair task."

"I would only have expected as much. What I would ask, is that you help me in the initial developments of this. Using Star-swirls techniques, I believe it would be possible with containment magic's to create a magical prison residing within an autonomous crystal."

"You would have us create a prison from magical crystal? May I ask then, how you would find crystals of such disproportionate size? And I fail to see how this differs from Discord's current detainment."

"You misunderstand me sister. I do not speak of a physical confinement, but rather due to the properties of the prison, a prison for the soul. After the creation of the initial prison, one could remove the soul and coalesce it forcefully into a single crystal. The body would disappear from the physical plane, and the soul and conscience be placed in sub-material stasis. They would be aware of nothing."

"That seems a little extreme Luna. If this is what you were so excit…"

"That is only the basics. And it is not as cruel as you may believe. It is possible to resurrect the occupant of the prison; all you would need is the soul crystal. From that you could reconstruct the physical form and reinstate the soul into the form."

"Luna, I am not entirely sure what you are getting at…"

"But that is not all! It would not even require any magical input from us. As the creators of the prison, all we would have to do is come into contact with the soul crystal with the intent of resurrecting the soul. Once that happens the magic releases the soul, and it is as if nothing will have transpired. The individual in question will not even be aware of anything that has happened since the moment they became confined."

Surprise was evident on Celestia's face with the prospect of what this might mean. If they could pull this off, it was a very likely conclusion that Equestria would never face turmoil of any kind again. It also meant that Equestria's enemies could not plot against her whilst in exile and that harsh extreme measures would not have to be taken. Simply put, it was a masterful feat of ingenuity and Celestia was astonished that Luna would have gone out of her way to have put so much thought and effort into such a matter. Especially since it would involved a great amount of reminiscence into a traumatic past that she knew Luna regretted and still felt shame for.

"What you say. I approve most whole heartily and I give it the greatest of precedence."

The smile that shone on Luna's face at having convinced the elder was magnificent and coupled well with the excitement that became the proud younger sister in her comeliness.

"You honestly think of this as an opportunity that will better us all?"

"I do Luna, a most attractive prospect indeed. And I think it only befitting that we begin at once, I will need you assistance in this matter. Although I ask only that you do not question me on the nature of the magic I shall contribute, I task you with the conjuration as I will require all of my concentration."

Luna, elated with the swiftness of the matter merely nodded her head serenely as she instructed one of the guards on the inside of the throne room's doors to fetch some materials from her lab.

He disappeared at a measured trot, his hooves echoing yet slightly muffled and Luna watched him go until he disappeared around a corner.

By the time the guard returned, the sun had risen to its fully glory and shined radiant in the noon sky. Luna and Celestia had been deep in conversation during that time, and had even saw fit to send a summons to Shining Armour, who was otherwise preoccupied with the training of the new Unicorn corps on the fields just outside of the capital. Acknowledging the return of the Pegasus, that had bore the news that the Captain of the Guard was on his way, along with the acceptance of the Earth pony bearing the materials Princess Luna had requested.

Luna auspiciously inspected the crystals with a meticulous eye to insure they remained in good shape, before turning to Celestia, her dark mane flowing around her head as she turned.

"This is what shall form the basis sister." Manipulating using levitation as she said thus, the cluster of crystals that altered between shining like the sun, and like the moon.

"I have grown these crystals over the course of many weeks in my lab. Unlike normal crystals they are imbued with pure sun and moonlight I have collected alchemically, and cultured with a blend of magic-science."

"Excellent Luna, a most magnificent specimen. Shall we proceed?"

Luna nodded before adding

"Pray, just give me a moment to identify where I need to channel the prerequisite magic to fuse the instilled light with the crystal and summon the ephemeral form."

Celestia looked on silently as Luna poured over the crystals, turning them over and over in the air casting a practiced eye over every square inch. Celestia flicked her wings out, gracefully preening any ruffled feathers before folding them back against her body.

"Done" stated Luna matter-of-factly "I am ready whenever you are my sister."

"Then let us begin."

The horns of the two Alicorns began to glow in unison, Luna's with an aura of silver and Celestia's with a golden light.

A shimmering outline of a prism began to radiate outwards from the crystal, sustained by and manipulated in the air courtesy of Luna's magic. And from the centre of Celestia's horn, a thin snaking tendril of multi-coloured light streaked towards it. Upon connection it began to fill the transparent container with what seemed like a liquid rainbow that wasn't quite there. For what seemed like an eternity the two stood there silently although in reality only a few minutes transpired, magic flourishing and rushing forth from them. The guards stood stricken, enraptured by the enfolding spectacle, jaws agape at the powerful magic unfolding; this reality bending, universe changing magic that could be achieved when two deity-esque God-Princesses worked together for mutual gain.

What happened next changed the course of Equestria forever, and it was all over within a matter of seconds. To those in the room, time seemed to slow to the stage that a grain of sand within an hourglass would have appeared to fall like a snow flake. With a whispering sound and a thin puff of smoke a roll of faded parchment with a neat red ribbon, stopping the message from unfurling, appeared in the air above Celestia and began to fall. The two princesses did not notice this impromptu delivery, engrossed as they were by the working, but the guards stood in horror.

When it impacted with Celestia there was slight whispering sound, and then the unthinkable happened.

As Celestia's concentration slipped the beam of light from her horn retracted and then shot out again, towards Luna. The golden light then rotated, forming a long coiling chain, streaking towards the younger princess, who looked up to see the chains quickly approaching. In her mind, a flashback of 1000 years ago rose to the surface unbidden. She mouthed but one word, _why,_ to think her sister would banish her again.

"Celestia!" She cried aloud, her voice cracking under the strain as the chains began to wrap around her form, constricting and bathing her in a sharp glaring light.

A terrible snapping form resounded throughout the room like a peal of dark thunder, and the links in the chain feel to the ground, naught but ashes.

Luna stood, tears streaming silently down her face, and around her a strange shape hung like a shadow in the fog. It was dark and terrible and radiated a power that would make even the bravest recoil. It stood taller than Luna, and enshrouded her like a mantle of darkness, blacker than the deepest night, but for an impenetrable haze of ghostly blue. The guards in the room began to quake, they recognised the peril they now stood in.

The shadow of Nightmare Moon dominated the room, with Luna standing in the centre of the swirling darkness separate from it, yet clearly the source of the dank and suffocating presence. The light in the room seemed to diminish and lose its vibrancy. The voice that came when Luna opened her mouth to speak was not her own, and it possessed a chilling quality that bit to the bone and left not an inch free of the terror it inspired in the beholder.

"_**You..."**_ That statement hung in the air, festering, stagnating. _**"You would banish me again..? Your own kin, flesh and blood. I would rent you bone from sinew were it not for the mercy thou had shown me. And now, in our moment of triumph, you attempt to dispose of me for an eternity. I have spent, an age, waiting, watching. Sister, you think I had not thought on this petty banishing magic you used to dispose of me?"**_

"Luna! Stop this!" Cried Celestia in desperation, with the withdrawal of Luna's magic the prism had begun to pulsate with a dangerous looking energy, and now she struggled to keep it under control by herself; unsure of whether she could afford to let it go, to apologise to her sister for her lapse in concentration. Her pleading eyes had begun to sparkle with the rising tears, this was most unprecedented as Celestia herself could not recall the time when such emotions had ruled her. Seeing them, Luna appeared to withdraw into herself, the shadowy darkness condensing and rushing into her body. Crystal rivulets still ran down her face, and she whispered the one word once more before she pressed her eyes together to clear them, as if collecting herself, before taking off at a gallop.

Celestia swung her head around in panic, her mane floating through the air in the same arc her head followed. Shouting as she did so,

"Luna! Please stop! There has been a terrible misunderstanding…" But before she could complete the sentence, she had to turn her attention back to the prism that was rapidly spiralling out of control. From what she could gather, it had received enough magic to begin to sustain itself, but in its incomplete state it threatened to collapse in on itself, creating a spiritual void and dragging the souls of every pony within a 100 league radius into a non-existential prison, Celestia included. While she desperately wanted to apologise, there were greater things to deal with right now, and she wasn't entirely sure if she could succeed on her own.

Luna raced past the guards at the door before they could comprehend what had just happened, and just as she passed them, her mane flailing wildly, fragments of Celestia's desperate cry to Luna reached their tufted ears. However, due to the diversion which mercilessly threatened to extinguish all of Canterlot, the only words the guards heard were…

"Stop! …Terrible!"

And with the haunting image of Nightmare Moon still fresh at the forefront of their minds, they automatically assumed that the worst had come to pass and the wicked Mare in the Moon had returned to devour all and bring Eternal Night. Naturally, they heard Celestia's call to be an abrupt order to apprehend the fleeing perpetrator.

Quickly spinning on their hooves, golden lamina's of steel clanking metallically; they gave chase to the fleeing Luna.

Looking over her shoulder, Luna gasped in surprise to find two ponies of the royal guard chasing her down at a dead sprint, one, an earth pony, was significantly faster than his companion; a Pegasus who could not adequately give chase due to the corridors not allowing room for flight. Her breath already came in ragged shreds, and she abruptly began turning corridors in an attempt to lose her pursuers, to no avail. No matter how fast she galloped or how many corners she rounded in this labyrinthine palace, she seemed to run into yet more ponies of the guard trying to chase her down. She knew what they desired, to subdue her and drag her on her knees back before her sister, who would then imprison her in solitude and isolation once more. Luna could not allow that to happen, she was not entirely sure if she could endure another thousand years. As she hurtled throughout the palace, a growing trail of destruction grew in her wake, as ornate vases were flung to the ground by the tunnel of air behind her, and rich tapestries were torn from the walls to be trampled by the pursuing guard. Luna realised that she had to get out of the palace, out of the city if that were possible, and to do so as quickly as was physically possible. In a matter of a few minutes she was completely breathless and growing steadily more desperate. Her pursuers and would be assailants now numbered around five or six ponies, and from what she could ascertain from her fleeting glances there were two unicorns, a single Pegasus and a number of Earth ponies.

Taking what she hoped was the final corner, the crimson carpet slipped under the duress she place on it and she tumbled rather than ran around the corner into a large antechamber with a marble archway in place of a conventional door. Large stained glass windows lined the ovular room, and the only exit lay directly opposite from the entrance. An exit, in which a single shadowed silhouette stood framed.

Luna rolled, tucking her wings delicately against her flank which now shone and was slick with sweat, using her momentum to propel herself back onto her feet, skidding to a grinding halt.

"Shining Armour!" she gasped, "You have to help me, move aside please…" her voice was begging, and Shining Armour came forward a step into the light.

"Luna! I mean Princess, what's going on? Why do you look so distressed?"

As he finished his statement the troupe of guards dashed into the room, eye's narrowed and forcing Luna to spin and back away towards the wall, panting and looking frightened.

Two of the guards sprang forwards, a Unicorn with his horn aglow and the Pegasus, legs outstretched in a headlong dive. From the Unicorn a beam of brilliant white light darted forth and the Pegasus barrelled forwards with the intent of forcing her to the ground. However in response the darkness sprang forth from Luna like an arrow from a bow, again forming the terrible outline of Nightmare Moon, and deflecting the bolt of light from the unicorn directly into the chest of the Pegasus, who was flung backwards into his comrades, knocking them to the ground unconscious.

The Darkness swirled around in an oscillating dance as Luna turned to Shining Armour, her eyes sparkling with tears once more, pleading to be given passage. However, Shining Armour merely planted his hooves on the ground, bracing himself and seeing only a terrible foe of Equestria that he must vanquish.

"Vile Scourge!" He cried, as he prepared for battle. "I don't know why you have returned, but you may not pass here. Not while I yet stand!" And with that a bolt of energy shot forth from him, aiming straight for the centre of the darkness; which merely absorbed the impact, closing around it and smothering its brilliance. A wicked looking bolt of lightning arced involuntarily out from Luna at his point, rending the air and accompanied by a booming clap of thunder. Electric blue, it violently struck Shining Armour head on, hurling him into the nearest wall with a sickening crunch as several bones snapped under the impact. As he slid to the floor, his head slumped to the side and his eyes rolled back to show the whites. Immediately, the darkness immediately retreated into Luna once more, and horrified, she ran over to the still form, only letting herself breathe once she knew he yet drew breath, heavily injured and unconsciousness, but nothing he wouldn't live through with adequate provisioning and care.

With a clamour, a fresh batch of guards, all unicorns, galloped in from the entrance Shining Armour had been blocking glancing quickly at the havoc around them. With a moan, the guards from before began to lever themselves up, all except the Pegasus who remained still. Luna quickly swung her head from side to side, her options receding in front of her very eyes as the Unicorn prepared a magical barrage. Rather than be caught in a crossfire of magical projectiles Luna elected to survive through a hasty and entirely irrational act, and with a cry threw herself out of the window; accompanied by the sound of tearing wings and shattering glass.

Shards of coloured glass flew past Luna's eyes, and she shut them against the suddenly blinding light and also in the hopes of protecting her eyes from the jagged fragments that had tore through her wings in several places leaving bloody furrows that burned with a torturous fire. She could feel the wind rushing past her and knew she was falling, opening her eyes against the air pressing against her face she saw Canterlot stretched out below her like a glorious mosaic. Buildings appearing to be little more than tiny coloured squares and the ponies scurrying around like ants. Luna attempted to snap open her wings to halt her descent, but a blinding pain shot through her left flank and a hail of feathers drifted off in the currents of the air. Her graceful wing looked twisted and tattered, incapable of sustained flight, and her attempt to do so caused her to flip over; her eyes when straining could see the cavernous opening she had thrown herself from and the ponies who had pursued her still stood there in shock. Before her eyes they set off at a gallop to alert the rest of the city guard.

Desperately, and with great pain, Luna used her working wing to flip herself back over, the ground rushing up at her at an alarming rate. Spreading out her wing in an attempt to slow her descent worked to some extent, as when she fell meteorically from the sky the impact enough was enough to break several ribs, but not enough to kill her. The flowers of the royal gardens however did not fare so well and now lay broken in the colossal crater caused by Luna's impact. Dragging herself out of the hole, Luna cried out in pain, desperation fuelling her, as her body would normally have given up under such pain and duress.

Taking a moment to check herself for any serious damage, Luna limped slightly towards the city, her mane and tail flaccid and tangled and a few loose feathers scattering behind her. By the time she reached the steps that joined the front of the palace to the entrance of the gardens Luna was managing to walk normally again, although this was more down to tolerance of pain rather than general durability. Golden guards paced the area in front of the palace, evidently Luna thought to herself the alarm had not spread this far as of yet. Composing herself, so as not to alarm any passersby's or catch anything more than a fleeting glance, Luna walked with royal grace towards the city; appearing to not have a care in the world, bar the occasional droplet of blood that would roll off the tip of one of her feathers and stain the ground beneath her hooves, sanguine against the stone.

For a moment Luna dared to hope that she could pass this far without being noticed, but just as he reached the first step in the grand stone staircase leading down into the city a raucous cry split the air.

"Halt! In the name of the Princess!"

Tears began to run down Luna's face yet again, leaving streaks in the dust that peppered her skin, the indignation at being hunted like an animal in the name of her sister; she was their princess, how they could debase her so was beyond her imagination.

Without turning to face this newest threat, Luna bolted down the staircase at a dead gallop, almost losing her stride by tripping numerous times. Only her wings allowed Luna to maintain her velocity at such a sharp decline, occasionally diverting her balance to ensure she remained upright.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Luna glanced hesitantly around trying to gauge the quickest route to a gate out of the city. From above her the sound of hooves rang out against the stone, forcing her to choose a direction at random. Behind her a motley crew of guards were in hot pursuit, involving not only the palace guards with their full golden embossed armour, but members of all the different ranks with the varying trimmings and details on the armour.

Feeling her breath begin to grow short again, Luna shot off into the maze of backstreets that made up the city of Canterlot. Many of the buildings were made of yellowish sandstone, others whitewashed blocks of stone, a large majority of the housing was painted in bright colours that reflected the diversity of the ponies that dwelt there. All of these ponies looked shocked as the blue comet sped past them, followed by the cacophony of metal and hoof-beats that was the pursuing force. Many a pony was shunted roughly aside by the heavily clad enforcers, and squeals of terror could be heard as they stampeded through the streets.

In an attempt to lose them, Luna deliberately started towards the market quarters of the city, a place where a bizarre array of assortments could be found, anything from apples to forgotten relics.

After a few minutes navigating the tight back alleys, which stood shaded from the midday sun, Luna burst out into the central market place. Only to find that there was already a small squadron of guards waiting there on high alert for any sign of her, Luna felt her heart sink as once again the alarm was raised and the guards began to charge her, expertly navigating the occupants of the market and the stalls that littered the place like a forest.

Without time for a reprieve, Luna quickly set off into the elaborate mess of ponies, her ribs screaming in protest and her left wing slowly numbing, drawing a faint line of blood across anything it came into contact with. Hearing the guardsponies cursing at the futility of their pursuit, Luna was encouraged to dare to hope of escape; the same throng of ponies making her life so difficult at this moment, may also be her salvation. At the trot she was moving at, Luna dropped to her flank suddenly, sliding underneath the wooden frame of a booksellers stand, startling the life out of the pony manning it as she whisked by its legs, disappearing past the canvas hung as a backing to the stand.

Pushing herself up on the other side, with dirt and sand grinding painfully into her wounds Luna saw the shadows of the guards' race by on the other side and immediately began to retrace her steps in the opposite direction.

Emerging from the chaos, much to Luna's distress, a number of the squadron from before had remained behind to ensure the fugitive wouldn't backtrack, as she just had. Realising the importance of her error, Luna acted before they had chance to respond to her sudden appearance. Raising herself to her full height, Luna began to run straight towards the bemused looking guards. In the instant before she reached them, Luna kicked off with her powerful hind legs, launching herself into the air. Mid jump, as she reached the height of the guards helmets, Luna used her working wing to twist in the air, bringing it out and then under. This manoeuvre caused the hard cartilage in her other wing to collide with the jaw of the foremost guard, impacting so forcefully his head jerked back and his helmet flew off, and the heavy-silver shoed base of her front right hoof to smash into the eye of the second guard. As the two staggered together, Luna flew overhead and tumbled painfully to her feet after hitting the ground. Turning, she saw the one she had kicked in the eye flail wildly, his own hooves connecting with the third and final guard as he reared up, which would cause quite a nasty concussion.

Luna then began to transverse the bustling square, noticing under her feet the mottled tiles of the great mosaic under her hooves, she knew from experience that from above it depicted the ancient image of her and Celestia raising the Sun and Moon, but down here in the street it merely blended together into indiscernible blurs.

Picking her way around the ponies, Luna had to expertly side-step and avoid the many obstacles in her way, whilst also remaining on high alert so that if she were noticed she would have enough of a head start to escape again. Passing by a grand sculpted fountain, Luna passed a small yellow filly with a coiffed magenta mane dextrously collecting apples that had scattered from an upturned box. She thought about stopping to be of assistance, but the peril she still rested in and the sharp glare the small pony through her way quickly deterred her.

"There she is! After her!" The shout came from close by; the guard had been obscured by the apple stand and rushed around it to cut off her escape as number of others galloped up from behind at the alarm. Luna began to feel the cold terror rush through her system again, apprehension clouding her thoughts, but she couldn't give in. She would not go back to that desolate rock, not in a million years, let alone a thousand.

With a cry Luna jumped the apple stand, the small filly crying out in anger as the carefully collected apples now scattered again, after Luna's hooves barely cleared the stand, clipping the box with enough power to upturn it. Dashing off in a general westward direction, Luna disappeared once more into the confusing back alleys of Canterlot.

Had she been of solid mind, what Luna saw in the western streets would have greatly distressed her. This was unlike the Canterlot she knew, and much unlike the clean and happy city Celestia purported to rule over. Ill looking ponies lay huddled in doorways riddled with lice and shuddering against the shadows of the looming ramshackle buildings. Smashed ceramics and litter crowded the streets, and the paved roads had degenerated into naught but dirt tracks. Behind came the snorting of the guard, and as Luna hurtled through the streets twisting and turning randomly through the excessively narrow and choking streets, she could visibly see the ponies there shrink back in terror. What she could not deduce was whether this was fear of her, or rather she suspected the presence of the guard; what atrocities these ponies had suffered in the name of sister she could not fathom.

Once gleaming paintwork laid peeling and dirty, greasy looking strips coming away from the walls and lapping at the bare earth. Subliminal anti-governmental messages plastered the walls in illiterate scrawls, and paintings of Celestia were carelessly defaced.

The further Luna plunged into the slums, the more shame she felt at her ignorance of the cities plight, and the heavier her heart began to weigh down. Everywhere around her stagnated in its mouldering and poverty was clearly rife as young fillies fought over stale crusts of bread. The narrow streets forced the guards to run in single file and as such Luna began to outpace them but just as the hope began to grow that she may lose them, she spotted off to her right another pair of guards. One of them was slighter than the other and had his back pressed towards the wall, and the other was fervently giving orders until Luna raced by them. Her legs began to burn and she heard one of the pair join the column, this was an impossible endeavour thought Luna to herself, she may be able to outrun and outsmart a couple of guards but they were innumerable and that pure fact seemed to make them insurmountable.

The dust that rose from the roads stung her eyes, and Luna carried on regardless, forging deeper and deeper until suddenly she burst forth into daylight like a rocket. She was unsure of how much time had elapsed, but before her now rose the great golden gates of the city.

"This must be the western exit" she whispered to herself as she started forwards at a gallop. However as she did so, a heavy portcullis slammed down in her path, cutting her off from her escape. From the gatehouse a trio of guards sprung forth at the same time that the column of breathless guards exploded from the slums into the open. Luna was surrounded, and she knew it.

"Thou darest to assail your Princess! Hath you no shame!" She cried as they warily formed a ring around her, entrapping her within a perimeter of heavily armoured and aggressive stallions.

"We are most displeased with how thou conduct yourselves! Stand down!" She ordered in her most authoritarian tone as a last chance gambit, slipping back into her old habits she had worked so hard to correct once her subjects in Ponyville had informed her that she was linguistically obsolete.

However this was to no avail and the ring began to tighten around her. Luna's distress was clear, and she could feel a madness rising in her and threatening to swallow all rational thought. In her head a silken voice whispered venomous things, _Kill them, and kill them all... _

"N-no… silence thy-self…"

_Do you not want to dissect them? To take them apart piece by piece? They are most fascinating ssspecimens…"_

"Why would I want to do such a thing, hath you no restraint?"

The speed with which the guards tightened their circle began to slow as fear spread among their ranks. They were not sure what was happening, but a malevolent black mist had begun to rise from the princess's body and begun to take form in front of their eyes as Luna herself muttered nonsensical things to the air, her eyes darting from side to side in fear.

_Because it will be fun. They are our subjects after all…_

"O-our subjects?! Whatever do you mean, stand away. I do not wish to hear more of your blasphemies…"

_Oh but you do… I know, after all, I know all of your hearts desires… Would you not just revel in the chance to perform a vivisection to find what makes these foals so loyal?_

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Luna's voice rose to an ear-splitting crescendo, and the guards stood rooted in place as the dark fog twisted and contracted before rushing down to cover Luna's form. There was a sound like pealing thunder and a flash of light that forced the guards to close their eyes less they be blinded and rendered sightless. When they opened them, the magnificent and dark Nightmare Moon stood before them, her black form gleaming and mane flowing like a river of night sky. However with each passing second that they looked on in fright, the form seemed to flicker and diminish. Looking to each other for courage, they collectively surged forwards. Nightmare Moon's eyes flashed dangerously, a glowing silver, and from her sprung forth a might bolt of lightning that crackled and shook the ground. It struck the leading pony and the two either side of him and flung them away, they hit the ground heavily and skidded to a halt their breathing shallow and tongues lolling, alive, but badly injured.

However, this assault did nothing to stop the remaining ponies, which slammed into the ominous wall of darkness taking her down to the ground with their combined momentum. For a second they seemed to have succeeded in subduing her, but then the shadows surged forth in a fearful torrent pushing them away in a great wave, creating tracks in the ground as they all slid away. On the ground Luna lay writhing in pain, and after a brief minute she forced herself to her feet regardless of the pain, her hooves stained with her own blood which now ran freely from opened gashes in her flank and wing.

She stumbled, her legs quivering as if questioning if they could support her much longer. However, she was a princess of Equestria, one of the most powerful beings to ever walk the earth and she would be damned if this were to be her undoing. No matter how many swelled the ranks of her enemy, no matter the pain or the wounds they would inflict on her, she would remain standing until her last breath. Gasping for breath, Luna's eyes watered as she shook. Around her the guards began to regain their senses and slowly prepared for another assault, Luna did not know if she could withstand another attack. After all, she stood alone, surrounded by foes with not a friend in the world; she cried tears of both hurt and woe to be so.

This was the end she concluded, with more than half the guards now back on their feet Luna was drained and outnumber, she had to give it her all, even if it would result in her demise. Rearing up, she prepared to charge.

"Princess!" cried a voice from above, causing Luna to recoil and plant her hooves back on firm ground, what was the source of this interruption, had more ponies come to gloat at her disgrace?

A pair of pegasi hurtled towards her, dark blurs against the bright sky, their wings not feathered but rather covered in a thin purplish membrane which were more reminiscent of bat wings than the graceful plumed bird wings. Their hides were dark in tint, one a murky grey and the other also grey but for a sickly green hue when his exposed flank was struck by the sunlight. The two thundered towards the ground, creating a dust cloud on impact, obscuring themselves and Luna from the royal guards. The armour they wore was plate and styled the same as the regular guards, except it was a darkened metallic purple and shone with a dark light instead of a resplendent one.

"Aegis! Thunder!" Luna exclaimed agape, the two ponies of the Night Guard looked at each other in concern at Luna's ragged breathing.

"My lady, are you hurt?" asked the one with the green sheen, clearly perturbed by the state of his charge.

"I am fine thank you Captain, but you shouldn't have come…"

"Nonsense princess!" interrupted the second guard "It is our duty to protect you at all costs!"

"Midnight Thunder is right my lady, we have come to get you out of here."

By this point, the particles of dust obscuring them began to clear and settle and their discussion had to be cut short, as they were certain the next wave of attacks would proceed the minute it cleared. They were not wrong; a trio of golden clad guards surged forwards before the dust had fully cleared, only to collide with violet defenders. Midnight Thunder lashed out with his front hooves, rearing up to combat a single opponent, whereas the captain of the Night Guard being larger in stature tackled two opponents at once, flipping one onto its flank with a powerful uppercut with his wing and sidestepping the other, only to strike with his hind legs, bringing the pony to its knees. After this, the guardians of the princess Luna beat off wave after wave of golden assailants which attacked relentlessly while their comrades rested their strength. And while the valiant defence remained strong, their strength began to wane, pure numbers overwhelming the astounding valour they displayed.

"Does it never end" muttered Thunder, his chest now heaving and slick with sweat that ran down from under the metal plates of his armour.

"Stay strong!" called his commander as he struggled with yet another guard. "Reinforcements will come!"

The guard he was locked with smashed his helmet down onto Aegis' own, laughing victoriously in his face.

"You think your Night brethren will come to your aide dark one? Where do you think the rest of the guard are! We have already rounded up your puny sub-ordinates, callous foal!"

Luna looked on, powerless to help in her current state; it was taking all of her strength just to remain standing, when something miraculous occurred. For a second, a shadow seemed to pass over the sun, and in its wake darted a number of scrawny looking ponies. Across their faces were tied rags dyed black, obscuring their identities and around their flanks black bandages obscured their cutie marks. They resembled bandits and galloped forwards with a great hooting and cajoling that shook the air causing the battling factions to split apart, the royal guard now unsure of what to do.

"Come quickly!" The newcomers shouted in unison "Follow us if you wish to live to see another night!"

This was all the invitation Luna and her protectors needed and summoning all of their remaining strength with the resolve of the desperate began to run towards them. One of the bandits leaped onto the back of his comrade, using him as a platform to launch himself higher into the air. As he reached the highest point in the arc, he dropped a spherical object from his jaws which had been wrapped in the black rag he had removed to do so. As it hit the ground, a bilious cloud of smoke arose with a ghastly stench, causing those within the proximity of the localised explosion to gasp and cough, momentarily blinded by the smoke which stung their eyes. Through this ran Luna and her guards, their eyes closed and breath held, upon feeling the air clear around them they opened their eyes to continue running without losing any speed.

Back into the alleys of the slums they ran not knowing where they fled to as the seemingly endless maze of streets and alleys were identical. Luna and the guard were joined by the street ponies that had aided in their escape, who urged them in increasingly random direction with shouts from behind. After they passed what seemed like the same dilapidated building for the third time in a row, they turned yet another corner to be faced with reinforcements of the Royal Guard heading straight towards them. It was just one pony, but in these tight quarters it would be a simple task to overpower the fractious and exhausted escapees. With a yell one of the street ponies ran up a slight slope to the right and using that she jumped into the air and propelled herself off the wall to land in front of Midnight Thunder who had taken the lead, turning them away from the on comer and away from the pursuers, continuing to run onwards and deeper into the city.

"Follow me close now guard. Lest all is lost" And with that she sped up, forcing the pace of the group to increase an in attempt to stay together. After several confusing turns and twisting streets, they ran into an empty alley which was barricaded at the other end by a high brick wall, too high to jump. However the lead pony did not slow down until she reached the wall, skidding slightly she picked up the large metallic cover of a hole in the ground. From it arose a stench unlike any other, and after a quick smile, she jumped directly into it disappearing into the darkness. Luna and the Night Guards halted, unsure of how to proceed in this situation. From the rear, a bold young stallion trotted up, bowing as he presented himself to Luna.

"You must go now my princess, these will lead you out of the city. My companions shall guide you and keep you safe. You have my word."

The guards were not as easily convinced as they converged upon the pony until his back pressed against the wall.

"Please" he begged his voice straining and sweat dripping down his brow, "time runs short. You must go!"

"Midnight Thunder! Lambent Aegis! That is enough. Your princess demands this of you, we must trust this one, and for the help he has given he may be afforded that much"

The stallion nodded quickly, still worried by the menacing demeanour of the Night Guard. After a quick glance at Luna, they nodded their acknowledgement of the command. With a smile, the rags now discarded the other two street ponies, both Earth ponies, jumped down into the hole with a hoot and a muffled splash could be heard over the muted laughter that followed their descent.

A great clamouring came from the street behind them, the royal guard must have been following them from the cacophonous panting and clanging that rapidly approached.

"Go now!" pleaded the remaining street pony, his red face pleading with the princess. With whispered thanks, the royal princess herself stepped into darkness and was swallowed by the hole.

"Captain" said Thunder quietly, his voice soft "It was an honour serving with you."

"Likewise Soldier. You have our thanks. You shall not be forgotten" replied Lambent Aegis, his voice seeming thin and stretched, his eyes clouding with tears. With that Aegis strode forwards and dropped down to join the others.

With a sigh of relief the remaining street pony kicked the cover back over the hole, barring the daylight from the escaping fugitives.

"Hey Guard" he called to Midnight Thunder who stood rooted, looking at the street.

"Yeah?" he replied monotonously, not really thinking about anything apart from the battle ahead.

"Guess you ain't all that bad."

Thunder tilted his head as he looked back at the street pony, removing his helmet as he did so, a long and untrimmed black mane flowing out as he did so.

"You neither, ruffian" he replied with a smirk "Get going."

"Thanks" and with that the street pony was gone over the wall behind him, his knowledge of how to navigate this place aiding in his escape.

Midnight Thunder inhaled as he firmly planted his hooves on the ground, steadying his breath, and calming his mind. He knew this would be his last stand. But for his friends, his country and for his princess, he would gladly lay down his life.

"My princess…" he whispered to himself "…Luna… I am sorry to have failed you."

The Golden clad guards came around the corner, eyes ablaze with righteous fury and the anger possessed of those who smite the cretins rejecting a tradition established in a thousand year reign.

"For a new Equestria!" Midnight Thunder shouted as a battle cry as he sprang forth into the insurmountable foe, mane streaming as the powerful stallion ran forwards.

Darkness engulfed Luna as the daylight slowly disappeared above her, the circular cover sliding in to bask them in the loving darkness. Around her feet cold water sloshed, blessedly cool after the heat of the chase and cleansing her dirty blood stained hooves. As her eyes adjusted naturally the darkness, she shrank back in disgust; it was not as she had initially assumed a trickling underground stream, but the fragrant waters of the Canterlot sewers they stood in. Luna lifted her hooves up in dismay, not wanting to leave them in the filth for any amount of time.

She could hear Lambent Aegis' breathing as it came closer to her, the slight splashing as he waded toward her. In the murkiness, his flank seemed to gleam with the sickly green tint, down here in the blackness it possessed some form of luminescence and helped Luna to orientate herself in this new environment.

"My lady" he began, and Luna did not need to be able to fully see his face to discern that once again he was concerned for her wellbeing.

"I'm fine thank you Captain" she said heavily, she was still racked by pain and weariness, but she was a princess and she would not allow herself to show such weakness, especially in such a critical situation.

"Hey! Up here" came a voice from behind them, in the gloom Luna could make out two of the ponies that had jumped down here before sat on a stone walkway above the water level, which was much more of a sill than a proper form of promenade. As Aegis and Luna began towards them, the third and final member of the remaining street ponies trotted out of the haze along the walkway.

"Way's clear for now" she stated simply "we need to get moving 'fore they start lookin' proper".

As Luna pulled herself up quickly before Aegis could attempt to assist her, she brought herself to bear with this mare. For a moment the young mare met Luna's gaze eye to eye, before respectfully lowering her head. As she did so Luna took a moment to glance over her and her companions, the chase and entrance into the sewers had caused them to lose their disguises and so they now stood as a normal pony of Equestria might. The mare, proudly displayed a cutie mark of a telescope on her flank, although it looked to be more of a reconnaissance device than an astronomy device. Her companions, a slender slight stallion barely full grown displayed a net on his pale brown flank and the other stallion, a pallid sandy pony looked to be cheerful from his stockiness and mark of a 'feather on a stick'. Spy Glass, for that was the name the mare gave to Luna upon request, introduced her companions as Fisher and Feather Fancy; which Luna thought was an incredibly effeminate name for quite a boyish pony. Nevertheless, the minute introduction were complete they began to walk at a slow pace, so as to rest themselves into the system of tunnels running beneath Canterlot. Once Luna's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she realised there really was not much worth seeing down here, a slight disappointment considering until only a few moments ago she had been blissfully unaware that Canterlot even had sewers. Grey stone stretched on as far as the eye could see; broken only occasionally by a side passage or heavy iron sluice gate. The party carried straight on though, conversation kept to a minimal, Aegis and Luna being too preoccupied with trying to understand just what had transpired in the last few hours. Fisher and Fancy chatted amiably, but after Fancy had burst into a fit of raucous laughter after a muted remark from Fisher about mare's in heat, and Spy Glass shot them a truly terrifying glare silence hung over them.

Luna was unsure of how long they carried on like that, but when they eventually reached an opening, the light streaming in to drive away the darkness, the sun was no longer high in the sky and was beginning to set.

Suddenly the ground dropped away, a severe incline causing the waters of the sewers to cascade into a torrential waterfall; it appeared that these sewers ended directly at Canterlot's limits, and being a city built into the mountainside that meant they now came directly to the edge of a mountain cliff. There was a narrow path winding down the mountainside, barely wide enough for a single pony to walk, dropping away to little more than a single hoofs width in some areas; and that seemed to be the only way down.

Looking out over that incline, the entirety of Equestria stretched out before the group as the setting sun began to bathe it in fire, a pinkish aura extending across the fields and seeming to deepen to oranges and reds the longer they stood and watched.

Here Spy Glass halted the group and turning to face them from where she led made an ultimatum.

"This is as far as we may go Princess."

"What?" demanded Lambent Aegis, disarmed by this sudden abandonment and dereliction of duty on their behalf, the way he saw it, all ponies were sworn to the protection of the princess, and right now that meant escorting her to safety.

"What in Equestria do you mean, this is as far as you go?"

"Calm down captain…" Luna whispered, feeling fainter by the minute and looking to the mare "I am sure Spy Glass has a reasonable explanation for this…"

Spy Glass bowed in response to the support Luna showed her and continued on, looking pointedly at the pair as she did so.

"It ain't certain how things fare in the city, and it may be that we be needed to get more outta here, if you catch my drift. Might be more of you fancy folks that want out 'fore Celestia takes you down."

Lambent Aegis at this point seemed to realise what she was getting at, and began to nod along.

"Of course, of course. Give my thanks to your superior, you have been most useful. Oh, and continue to do what you all do best."

"Captain?" asked Luna, clearly confused by this transaction a look of bemusement spreading across her pained face.

"Is there by some chance, an accord between yourself and these ponies? Have you come across their kin before?"

"O'course he has Princess" butted in Fisher, his voice nasally and grating, "he's a Guard, royal or no. All guards know about us Republicans." Adding a wide grin to complete his addition.

"Republicans?" Luna began, her confusion only deepening.

"Now is not the time My Lady, I will explain to you at some other time if it still pleases you. For now we need to get moving again."

"Of course Captain, as you wish."

Aegis turned to Spy Glass upon Luna's consent, strictly focused in the matter at hand and how best to handle it.

"It bothers me to ask this of you, but may we encroach on your services once more before your return Spy Glass? We require a guard, this will be indefinite I am afraid; at least until we either reach a place of safety or rest a hundred leagues away. I know that your full strength is required in the city, but this is a matter of the utmost urgency. I am sure your superiors will understand."

Spy Glass' face clearly showed her disgruntlement at the request, but under the circumstances she could hardly do anything but grant it.

"Fancy" she snapped "Go with them until they will it otherwise, I expect them to get out nice 'n' safe. You know the drill."

"Yes ma'am" he hollered, setting out onto the mountain track.

With that, Fisher and Spy Glass turned and disappeared back into the darkness without another word, leaving Luna and Aegis with no other choice but to follow the softly singing pony down the mountain side.

By the time they had reached the bottom, they were all breathless from exertion, it had been a treacherous path and only the wiles of the Pegasus Lambent Aegis had allowed them all to make it down in one piece. After he had pulled Feather Fancy back onto the path after the cumbersome pony slipped for the third time in a row, they had decided it would be best to place all of their attention on not falling to their deaths. It may have been simpler to fly, but Luna was still injured from earlier battles and as such could not even manage a glide, and Feather Fancy being an Earth pony couldn't fly at all. As they collected their thoughts, feeling relieved and slightly less pressurised, the crimson orb that the sun had become sank below the horizon, bathing the land around them in would be sometime before they had enough light to travel by, if indeed the moon rose at all today and the stars had not yet begun to twinkle into life.

With regards to whether Luna could just raise the moon for them, she had softly explained that it was an autonomous act these days, after Celestia had been left to deal with it on her own during the days of Luna's exile as Nightmare Moon, she had been forced to develop a way of the process occurring subconsciously so that the strain didn't kill her. As such, it was still technically Luna that raised the moon each and every night, but it was only her magic that did this and not her waking thought. This is why at certain times, the moon shone less bright or not at all.

Under these conditions they had been walking a general southern direction when they ran across a set of rail tracks, and an incredibly slow moving train. With a quick glance between them, they all snuck onto the train by opening what appeared to be a storage container. Using this, they managed to proceed away from Canterlot at a speed they would not have been able to match even if they were in good health.

The container they rested in was filled almost to capacity with metallic looking apparatus, mostly looking like junk but with the occasional important looking piece of machinery.

After a good hour or so passed, the train pulled by a quaint looking station slowing its pace to a standstill while it let what few late night passengers there were off at their homes.

Luna looked on tiredly as Aegis turned to Fancy and began heatedly discussing something in hushed tones. Fancy seemed to be quite content to just ride the train, but Aegis maintained that if ponies were to still search for them it would be along such a main thoroughfare and the Pegasus guard may even halt all trains at checkpoints to search for them. As such it was decided that the train must be abandoned and a point of safe-haven reached before the dawn. The only place that Fancy could think of was the close by Everfree forest, as suggested when they stealthily disembarked as the train pulled away revealing the "Welcome to Ponyville" sign displayed on the platform.

With no other options available, and the ancient seat of power for Luna and Celestia within that very forest, the three ponies silently made their way through the town of Ponyville. Not a single soul was in sight, and the streets appeared abandoned in the darkness.

The moon had not risen, and the majority of the sky had clouded over with heavy looking storm clouds, meaning that the only light they had was from a few dispersed stars here and there.

For some reason, Luna seemed to get more and more disheartened as they passed between the shadowed buildings, as if each step represented the loss of something close to her heart. Lambent Aegis just looked at her concernedly as he walked along side her, but she appeared not to notice, being far to intent on absorbing every last inch of eloquent facades and simple yet bold structures.

One particular building caught Luna's eye, and she paused in the street to look at it for a lengthy amount of time. It stood apart from the rest and was circular, resembling a carousel or merry-go-round. Rising up it split into multiple tiers, each with a lace brocade of the finest craftsmanship hanging down over the clouded windows. Several fleurs-de-lis were engraved into the elegant stonework above the arching door and windows, and they themselves were offset by beautiful carved patterns running around the entire building in a thin strip.

Luna sighed as she looked upon the heavy embroidered curtains covering the windows instead of the plain wooden shutters of the other building, perhaps this building represented something to her that she had yet to find within her own life and seeing it this way, flying into exile caused her heart to ache.

Lowering her head dejectedly Luna walked towards her companion that had stopped and turned to look at her in concern, smiling slightly but not sincerely she urged them to continue. After that they reached the edge of the town relatively quickly and without turning to look back they passed the last of the buildings, the only thing before them now the track and darkened fields to either side. In the distance loomed the boughs of the Everfree forest, which swelled in size as they got closer, becoming more menacing although this was due to the twisted trunks and branches of the trees rather than the impermeable darkness that leaked from within.

The entrance itself seemed to beckon to them, the trees parting for the track that ran between them providing an aisle for people to wander up and into the forest, mostly, never to return.

Pausing, Lambent Aegis took a moment to examine the ground just inside before deciding there were no hidden dangers immediately present to harm the princess. Ushering them onwards they took their first steps into the forest; hooves become muted with the heavy cover of damp foliage sticking to the ground.

Suddenly Luna shuddered, feeling a great energy surge through her, and with a glimmering light, the form of a great necklace began to materialise around her throat. Luna stood, almost as disgruntled by this as the visibly agitated Lambent Aegis, Fancy seemed not to notice, being far too terrified of his surroundings than the spectacle unfolding before his eyes.

Aegis rushed to her side, to offer whatever assistance he may with this sudden magical interference; but it was an unnecessary gesture as the moment he did so, the necklace assumed its full form and hung down on Luna's neck.

It was a stunning piece, made from pure silver and gilded with segments of white-gold around the delicate looking chain, from it hung a sapphire in the shape of a tear drop embedded into a crescent moon made of silver set with tiny crystals around the sapphire. The metal shone and gleamed like the moon, and was captivating in its beauty, but the sapphire did not, instead it seemed to absorb the light, drowning in sorrowful depths that sucked in emotions and gathering tears into a great sea. Overall then, the necklace seemed to shine with a great beauty, but it was a melancholic one, suited to one that has lived through great sorrow and feels undying regret for something they can never set to rights no matter the strength of their repentance.

"Princess…" asked Lambent Aegis softly, causing Luna to respond in an equally hushed tone.

"I am not sure Aegis."

No answers were going to be revealed in their current predicament however, so they continued to move deeper into the forest, dragging the terrified earth pony behind them.

The quiet became almost deafening as the leaves swallowed more and more of the sound of their hooves, eventually descending into a silence that made them seem like wraiths, as they were swallowed up by the gloom; venturing forth into the unknown, fleeing from an enemy that would push against them on all sides, with nothing but hope of escape and each other to comfort their minds.

They had survived many a fight this day, but the real fight loomed on the horizon and it would not be pleasant one, with great loss for everypony involved. This was just the beginning.


	2. USE I - The United Solar Empire

Staring across the near empty plaza at a market stall, a Sweet Apple Acres market stall. Supposedly, they grow the tastiest apples in Equestria at Sweet Apple Acres. Not that the opportunity to try one had been afforded to Greymier. Now is his chance to try one, surely, they would not miss an apple or two.

"What am I thinking" Greymier muttered to himself "I know it has been two days since I ate last, but stealing?"

A loud rumbling in his gut broke his already crumbling resolve. So Greymier set off from his hiding place in a shadowy side alley and trotted across the intricately designed mosaic plaza, that from a distance depicted Princess Celestia raising the sun and her recently returned younger sister, Princess Luna, raising the moon. However, up close it looked like nothing but a mass of blues, pinks and yellows.

Greymier paused in the middle of the plaza, stood in the middle of the mosaic sun, eyes now focused on the water in the central fountain instead of the box of apples near the stall; the cleanliness of is mane surprised him, considering he had spent two nights sleeping rough on the way to Canterlot. There was just one patch of dirt on his flank. Greymier dipped a hoof into the water, sending ripples across the fountain, and wiped the mud off his flank. A decision he immediately regretted as it revealed the patch on his flank that remained empty, a patch that should show his heart's desire. A sign that he was different, that marked him as unusual and strange.

He shuffled one of his large grey wings over the patch to hide it again. The water had stilled and Greymier took a final look down, cyan eyes stared back at him with a restored sense of hungry determination.

Greymier continued to the other side of the plaza coolly and unhurried. As he drew level with a crate of shiny Red Delicious apples, he paused again, glancing round to see if any ponies were watching, none were. Good. He bobbed down to snatch an apple. He glanced up to see a small yellow filly with a pale red mane and a pink bow tying it back, stood face pressed into his, magenta eyes glaring furiously at him.

"What in the hay are you doing with Apple family apples?" The bubbling pot of anger attached to his face snapped angrily.

"Uh, not stealing them?" Greymier replied nervously as he span around and kicked the box, sending the apples and the little filly flying. Hooves back on the ground Greymier bolted westward to the nearest alley. A guard quickly fell into pursuit. Greymier could not take flight as he would be caught immediately, his only choice was to run in to the labyrinth that is the Canterlot slums and hope the guard knew them as poorly as he did.

Travelling west, the streets quickly degraded from brick and stone to simple mud tracks. The houses showed no sign of order or care. The guard slowed down to avoid the numerous potholes and piles of rotting garbage that filled the street. Greymier kept a higher pace by bounding through the streets, only touching the ground at rare intervals. After a few minutes of chase, Greymier glanced behind to see an empty street, slowing to a halt to catch his breath. He needed to hide, looking into a gap between two houses, Greymier recoiled in shock, and about to bolt once more he caught the sound of snoring from the guard in the gap.

Knowing the only way to lose his pursuer was to give the guard a reason to stop the chase. Greymier quickly removed the guards armour and donned it himself. After assuring that the armour fully covered both his mane and tail, Greymier trotted off in the direction from which he thought he had come. Greymier met with his pursuing guard sooner than he hoped, as the excuse needed to stop the guard still eluded him.

Saluting to the guard and acknowledging his presence with a "sir". The guard bobbed his head, accepting the salute, but not returning his own, obviously a higher rank signified by the gold trimming on his armour.

"What are you doing here?" The guard barked impatiently, angry at being disturbed in his chase.

"Where else would I be sir?"

"At the guard house." The guard answered, indicating with a hoof to one of the few well-maintained buildings in the slums.

"Err... well I heard a commotion in this direction and decided to investigate, sir."

That part was not a lie, Greymier had heard a clamour, although he was trying to move away from the commotion, but had become tangled in the web of streets.

"Never mind that, have you seen a Pegasus pass this way?"

"What did they look like, sir?" A stupid question to ask, Greymier thought in hindsight, the guard could easily piece together that he matched the description.

"He is tall and slender, with a pale blue, short cut mane. Most importantly he has a blank flank, should stand out."

Before Greymier could confirm he understood a blur of dark mist raced by, leaving a trail of dust, blood and dark blue feathers. A cacophony of stamping hooves and clinking plate-mail followed the blur as half a dozen guards were in full pursuit.

"Find him." The guard ordered as he reared up and followed the pack, obviously wanting to be involved in something bigger than chasing an apple thief.

Greymier watched the guard who was pursuing him disappear round the tight corners of the slums in the tail of the group. He stood there against the wall of a disintegrating building for several minutes, exhausted and relieved that the chase was over. Greymier realised that he was completely lost; the chase had panicked him so much that he had forgotten to keep track of his path. He gave up on keeping to the streets and decided to take to the sky. That was until a Pegasus in red and gold armour, plummeted out of the sky, crashing into the street in front of him. He looked up to see three more ponies in the sky, taking flight was probably not a good idea. Greymier had no idea how to help the Pegasus, so he dashed off into the streets to find some-pony who could. He decided to stay in a straight line so he could find his way back. He came to a t-junction and stopped; looking left, he saw the same dark mist that had passed him earlier charging towards him, flanked by two Pegasi and four earth ponies, before turning into a side alley, Greymier made his decision, he turned right and tried to find some-pony who could help him. He arrived at the guard house to find it sparsely populated, as much as he wanted to avoid talking to any city guards, the Pegasus was badly injured, and needed help.

There were a few unicorns in the guardhouse who knew healing magic; Greymier guided them to the injured Pegasus, Another Pegasus in red and gold armour, was already there tending to the injured. He left them to help the Pegasus, and returned to the guardhouse, hoping to grab a free meal. With a full stomach and a warm room, Greymier felt happier, but still uneasy with his disguise, if the guard woke up, he would ruin the disguise. Canterlot is a big city and Greymier could easily stay without any-pony identifying him, but he felt it was best to leave the city for now. The city guard granted him that opportunity when they needed a Pegasus to fly out to the city of Haliflanks in the west and alert the guard of more soldiers arriving in several weeks, a precaution about the NLR causing trouble there. He snapped the opportunity up instantly, He saw this as an opportunity to stay as a city guard in Haliflanks, without fear of the city guard finding out who he was.

It all happened too fast, too much happened between thoughts. The first Celestia was drawing on her deepest reserves of magic. The second, Luna was disappearing through the golden doors of the throne room, trailed by a ghostly blue, yet impossibly dark cloud that oozed evil.

The words that escaped Celestia's mouth sounded muted as if talking through a thick rag, and only a few words escaped with clarity.

"Luna_..._**STOP! **_There has..._** TERRIBLE**_..._" Only these few clear words that reached the tufted ears of the palace guards, who seeing the dark cloud and recognising it as Nightmare Moon chased her through the golden doors, into the rest of the castle.

A strong magical pulse brought Celestia's focus back to her first thought. She hoped that Luna would be able to take care of herself. The magic that pulse violently from the crystals in front of her needed attention, if the magic failed at this critical moment, every-pony within a hundred leagues of Canterlot would be trapped in the crystals. Forcefully discarding the thoughts of events that had triggered this, Celestia brushed aside the scroll that had jeopardised her focus, returning deep into her well of magical power , magic that had lain dormant for centuries, if not millennia, a dark magic, a magic required now.

The courtyard outside the military barracks, as well as the barracks themselves, stood in stark contrast to the rest of the castle. While the castle soared in majestic spires of pastel-coloured granite, the barracks stood one-storey, pure white marble.

The courtyard, with a minimalistic design carved into the marble, currently held 40 unicorns in a unifor grid, each white unicorn stood stern-faced and strong willed in a bright purple armour gilded in intricate curling patterns, distinguishing them from the royal guard by the colour.

Another unicorn stood facing the squad, barking a stream of commands at the squad, all of which were followed in unison, and with military precision. The lead unicorn wore the same resplendent, purple armour as the others, yet when he wore it, he emanated the aura of command.

Shining armour, although young, is one of the highest-ranking ponies in the solar empire, and had even served the prestigious role of captain of the royal guard. Now Shining Armour is the commander of the unicorn corps. A unit consisting solely of unicorns, trained to deal with any of the Solar Empire's enemies. The arrival of a white Pegasus interrupted Shining Armour's stream of commands, the Pegasus wore gold plated armour, with a golden winged helmet the official sigil of the royal messenger. The Pegasus landed gently in the courtyard next to Shining Armour.

"Commander" The Pegasus opened the conversation as soon as possible, saluting to Shining Armour.

"Mercury" Shining Armour replied sharply, still deeply engrossed in issuing commands.

"Princesses Celestia and Luna request your presence in the throne room immediately for the testing of a new form of magic." Shining Armour nodded in acknowledgement and barked a swift order for his units to end training. By the time Shining Armour started towards the castle, Mercury had already taken flight and was heading towards an elevated entry point a few floors above the throne room. Shining Armour, not having the gift of flight opted for the grand entrance instead.

The grandeur that was missing from the military barracks quickly became apparent on every feature in the castle. The steps wound majestically up from the castle compound that housed many features separate from the castle such as the gardens and the barracks, and the oak wood doors that stood open at the top of the steps lead into a cavernous atrium, a dome-like room with stained windows that followed the curve. The floor was worn stone for the most part, the centre of the room leading from the entrance doors that lead to the castle grounds, to another doorway that revealed a corner, hiding the castle beyond.

Shining Armour paused for a second to take in the room, although he saw it often, the room never ceased to awe him. A loud skidding noise drew him back from the stain paintings on the windows, as Luna skidded round the corner, crashing into the stone wall. She sprang back onto her feet, skidding to a halt as she noticed Shining Armour emerge from the shadows cast by the doorway.

"Shining Armour!" Luna's voice, usually regal, came in ragged gasps. "You have to help me, move aside please..." the desperation in her voice changed the polite command into a needy beg.

"Luna! I mean Princess, what is going on? Why do you look so distressed?" Before he could ask any more questions, half a dozen guards galloped into view, their arrival heralded by a cacophony of metallic clanking.

Luna started backing away as a unicorn and a Pegasus dived forwards, the unicorn shot a beam of blinding white light at the princess as the Pegasus launched himself at Luna attempting to pin her to the ground. Before either of the attacks reached her, the darkness leapt from her, shrouding her in the shadowy cloak of Nightmare Moon, deflecting the unicorns bolt straight into the chest of the Pegasus. The impact caused the Pegasus to fly backwards into his comrades, knocking them down, and unconscious.

Luna turned back to shining Armour, teary eyes hidden behind Nightmare Moon. To Shining Armour, it seemed that Nightmare Moon had once again returned to Equestria, a threat that cannot prevail. Planting his hooves in a ready stance for the oncoming attack, Shining armour howled in a furious cry.

"Vile Scourge, I don't know why you have returned, but you may not pass here. Not while I yet stand!"

Shining Armour did not stand for much longer, for he shot a single bolt of energy at the dark mist when a vicious, arcing bolt of lightning raced from Luna towards Shining Armour, throwing him at a near wall, bones snapping with a sickening crunch at the impact. Luna sickened by the involuntary action ran over to Shining Armour, mist dissipating as she moved.

Pain shot through Shining armour, his vision blurred as he was thrown across the room, pain escalating to an unbearable point as he collided with the wall, losing consciousness before he reached the ground.

As more guards burst into the room, Luna dived through the nearest window, plummeting towards the royal gardens. The guards did not pursue, instead they tended to the wounded and sent for the palace healers. One of the most recent arrivals was Spectrum Heart, second in command for the Unicorn corps and designated healer. She dashed over to Shining Armour; horn illuminated by magical power, using it to block the internal bleeding, there was nothing she could do about the broken bones; they would have to be set by hoof. The magic gave Shining Armour a few moments of consciousness.

"Nightmare Moon... Arrest the Night guard." Shining Armour rasped in thin breaths, separated by globs of blood that needed pulling out with magic. Spectrum ordered the other unicorns that arrived with her to return to the military barracks and assemble the Unicorn corps. The guards that were recovering from being knocked down, started caring for Mercury, who was still unconscious, as the unicorns galloped off through the main entrance down the faded pink granite steps.

Lambent Aegis stared out from the balcony outside his quarters, looking out at the castle, the light of the mid-morning casting deep shadows across the mountain. Strong white light pulsed from the throne room, even standing out against the bright sunlight. After just a few short minutes, the light stopped no reason to worry. It was probably just the princesses experimenting with magic; Shining Armour had just been summoned to the castle.

Though he continued to stare at the castle, something in the back of his mind was stopping him from going to sleep. Perhaps it was how strangely Princess Luna was acting the previous night, several hours before dawn, she had started to pace through the castle, seeming desperately impatient for the night to end. The light in the throne room started again. A few minutes passed with nothing happening, until a window in the grand Atrium exploded outwards, a dark blue pony falling through the shards, one wing spread wide, the other hanging limply as she fell. She fell quickly towards the royal gardens, her horn started to glow, slowing her decent slightly, but she still hit the ground with a meteoric crash. Horns and wings? Lambent Aegis quickly realised that it was Luna. He dashed inside, running to alert more of the night guard. He had just finished alerting his soldiers when half a dozen unicorns from the unicorn corps filed into the end of the corridor.

"Halt, you are under arrest by the order of Shining Armour on behalf of Princess Celestia." The lead unicorn ordered.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Come quietly or we will use force."

Knowing this was no joke, Lambent Aegis span round, knocking an oil lamp over and diving into an open doorway as six bolts of magic collided with the wall beside where he used to be. Lambent was in his quarters, fortunately he had left his balcony open, so he leapt over the railing and landed on the pathway below. Straight into a group of heavily armoured palace guards who had already received the blacklist, they reacted quickly to his presence; however, it was not quick enough, as Lambent Aegis had already kicked one of the guards to the ground and dashed through the gap it left. Rounding the corner, he saw more members of the night guard fighting their way out of the living quarters, as he met with the group; their morale lifted knowing their leader was still fighting.

"What is going on sir?" one of the unicorns in the group shouted over the clamour.

"I do not know, but we have been blacklisted and need to get out the city."

Now having an objective the pony's morale lifted again. They surged forward pushing the royal guard and unicorn corps backwards, allowing more night guard to pour out the entrance. The skirmish lasted for a few minutes with neither side gaining an advantage. The Pegasus Aerial Combat Squad arrived, providing reinforcements for the royal guard.

"Sir" a night guard unicorn called out. "The pegasi have to scatter or we will all be taken out."

Lambent Aegis wanted to argue, but saw the grim truth, so he gave signals to take flight and scatter west. The sky darkened as sixty Pegasi, dark bat-like wings spread, took to the sky trying to escape as quickly as possible. Spreading out, it became an every-pony for themselves scenario.

A volley of magical bolts arced from the skirmish into the busy sky; a dozen of the bolts struck their targets to the ground. Thirty Pegasi from the Pegasus Aerial Combat Squadron took flight, chasing the remaining night guard into the city skies.

The night guard followed their orders to head west in a loose pattern. The unicorns of the night guard, now heavily outnumbered, launched a desperate plight to break the circle of heavily armed ponies that surrounded them. Most of the night guard, having to react to the blacklist without any preparation, had to go without much armour and those who had armour wore it haphazardly feathers visible under the bat-like wing covers, as the enchantment did not align properly. The ring tightened as ponies on both sides of the fight fell to variations on paralysation spells.

Now outnumbered nearly five to one the night guard changed from defending on all sides, to a single attack, striking a hole in their enemies defence. Unprepared the assorted units facing the night guard, failed to counter the attack, opening the flood gates for the remaining night guard to pour through the narrow gap of downed enemies. The ponies were prepared enough to deal with the outburst and soon took down all but the fast or lucky. Even the fastest and luckiest of the night guard made it no further than the edge of the castle compound.

In the skies, it was a more even battle as the Pegasus Aerial Combat Squadron hunted down the fleeing night guard with a high success rate within ten minutes sixteen of the night guard had been wrestled from the sky. Two more of the P.A.C.S that had taken flight, one of them being the captain, Volar Kite, were chasing down the captain of the night guard, Lambent Aegis, and his second in command, Midnight Thunder.

Lambent Aegis came to a sudden halt in mid-air, planting his rear hooves into the face of the Pegasus who was chasing him, unable to stop in time. The Pegasus, face mangled by the impact, fell out of the sky into the slum streets below with an ear-piercing shriek. Volar Kite slammed into the Lambent Aegis' side, catching him by surprise and knocking the breath out of his lungs. Volar Kite slowed himself, allowing Lambent Aegis to tumble through the air further.

"Give it up Lambent, I won't lose this fight." Volar Kite commanded as Lambent Aegis recovered from the attack.

"Ha, you don't even know why you are fighting, you have no chance." Came the reply tinted heavily with disgust.

"While it is true that I don't know why the night guard have been blacklisted, but there is sure to be a good reason."

"It is probably because your precious Princess Celestia attacked Princess Luna, we are just collateral damage."

"If Princess Celestia did attack Princess Luna, then it would not be without justification, making you an enemy of the united solar empire."

Out of the corner of his eye, Volar Kite saw a shadowy figure approach but was unable to act before the shadow crashed into his side snapping his left wing, sending him spiralling downwards.

"Good work soldier." Lambent Aegis called out to Midnight Thunder "We need to find Princess Luna."

Celestia had once again lost herself in the magic, fighting against the relentless struggle of the partially formed crystals. Hours passed by without any notice from Celestia. With subconscious thought let the sun fall when it felt like the end of the day. Finally, after a long battle, the crystals finally surrendered and Celestia gained the edge, allowing her to mould the magic into the desired form. The crystals manifested into a necklace, the necklace was partially the manifestation of her own magic, of her own being. The single topaz gem sat in the centre of delicate gold wiring, the gem itself was sharply cut yet flawless.

Celestia blinked with a stupor as the magic faded, she stumbled as she struggled to keep her balance. She thought back to the morning, trying to figure out what had happened. Somehow Nightmare Moon had returned, but why? She thought that Luna had gotten over the past grievances. She needed to rest, but there was too much to do.

If Luna had turned again, then the night guard would likely follow, Celestia was about to order the guards to arrest the night guard, when she noticed the room was empty. The guards must have chased Nightmare Moon in an attempt to stop her. She strode out of the room to find a guard, only to run into half a dozen guards. Saluting in unison, relief that their princess was unharmed was apparent on all their faces. Unsure of who should speak first, they stood in the corridor until the Princess spoke.

"Arrest the night guard, Nightmare Moon has returned."

Realising that Celestia was unaware of the day's events, the guard who had news of the night guard spoke first.

"Shining Armour has already issued the blacklist on the night guard and currently have sixty-nine of them under containment in the barracks, the rest have scattered into the slums."

"Who is the highest ranking member of the night guard under arrest?"

Another guard stepped forward, a city guard with fresh bruises welling up across his face.

"We captured the second in command, Midnight Thunder; he acted as a decoy while Lambent Aegis and Princess Luna escaped into the sewers with some street ponies."

"Hold on, Princess Luna?" Celestia questioned "Not Nightmare Moon?"

"Not at the time she disappeared into the sewers, no."

Another guard piped in to explain. "However, when we cornered her at the western gate, it was definitely Nightmare Moon."

So she has not fully transformed, Celestia thought, there may still be a chance to resolve this.

"Is she still in the city?"

"We believe she has already left the city under the escort of the NLR." Seeing the lack of understanding from Celestia, he clarified. "The NLR, or the New Lunar Republic, are a rebel group based in the west, they focus mainly on defacing buildings and spreading rumours of an uprising. They have not posed a threat until now."

"Go and find everything you can about the group, they must be a bigger threat than expected." Celestia ordered to the guard, who quickly saluted and trotted off down the staircase. Turning towards the guard who said they had captured Midnight Thunder. "Bring Midnight Thunder to the throne room, but make sure he is heavily restrained. He may have vital information." The guard saluted and followed the other pony down the staircase.

"Where are Shining Armour and Volar Kite?"

A white unicorn with a white mane stepped forward. "They are in the infirmary; Shining Armour was knocked out by Nightmare moon in the castle, and Volar Kite was taken down by Lambent Aegis and Midnight Thunder."

Unfortunately, they would have to wait, Celestia needed to find out what had happened.

"Were any of you in the throne room when Luna lashed out?"

The sixth pony stepped forwards and announced that he was. Celestia dismissed the rest of the guards and indicated for him to follow her into the throne room. They sat down and a pony brought in some hot tea.

"Tell me exactly what happened from the moment we started the magic."

The guard took a sip of the tea, and then began to describe the events that transpired that morning.

"Well when you connected horns, crystals started to form in the air above you and for several minutes your magic seeped upwards in tendrils towards the crystals." He paused to take another sip of tea. "Then a puff of green smoke brought a scroll, which fell on to your head. Your magic then lashed out towards Princess Luna, who reacted very violently to the incident, a dark mist enveloped her, as she became Nightmare Moon. I didn't hear what she said, but she seemed very upset and fled the room and we followed on your order."

"My order?"

"To stop her." The reality set in, Luna thought that Celestia was trying to banish her once again. The guards believed that Nightmare Moon had returned and Celestia ordered her arrest.

"Thank you for clarifying that soldier, go and get some rest." The guard left as seven more ponies trotted into the room, six earth ponies surrounded a single bat-winged Pegasus who was bound in heavy ropes.

"I apologise for the extreme measures, but I deemed it necessary until I know all the facts." Celestia said in a formal tone.

"Pah." Midnight Thunder spat "You already know all the facts; you know your attack on Princess Luna failed and you know that we would stand for her so you attacked without warning or honour."

"I would never attack Luna like that, this has been a mistake." Celestia retorted, offended by the slight.

"Ha, we all know you enjoyed your rule alone too much to share it with your sister again, you were just looking for a way to remove her again."

"Is there no way for you to realise this is a mistake."

"From your cruel tyranny, never." Emphasising his hatred with a spit.

Eyes burning with hate, the aura of benevolence that usually hung around Celestia, faded.

"Very well, I may as well put you to good use." Turning to one of the guards. "Pass me your weapon." The guard obeyed and Celestia took the weapon. She drew on her magic and touched the tip of the halberd to the jewel on her necklace; the contact caused the blade to shine yellow momentarily before fading back to metallic silver. Celestia returned the weapon to the guard.

"Kill him." Celestia ordered.

"You can't do that!" Midnight Thunder cried out shocked that his life was now on the line.

"Silence." Celestia ordered."I said kill him."

"Princess are you sure that is wise." The guard who received the order asked.

"Yes, now kill him."

The guard turned to Midnight Thunder. "I am sorry Midnight." The guard thrust the halberd forward at Midnight Thunder.


End file.
